My Flow Building Framework

Author

James Pinder
November 29, 2025

A bit different this week. After building automations for the past 6 months, I decided to create a framework based on what I've noticed leads to things breaking.

Sometimes I just like to "do." Many times that leads to more time spent doing because there was no plan. Things get messy and out of control. Then I have to rebuild what's already been done.

I've simplified the process as much as possible. This framework works best for complex systems where the workflow has multiple moving parts. For simple automations, it's easier to just build and test.

I've had many failures and spent long hours staring at the screen. If I had started with this framework, I would have saved myself a ton of time.

"Complex systems that work evolved from simple systems that worked. Start simple. Make it work. Then grow it."

The 4 Core Principles

Building with these in mind at all times.

  1. Start simple, make it work, then grow it

    • Complex systems that work evolved from simple systems that worked

    • You cannot design complexity from scratch

  2. Failure is a feature, not a bug

    • Every system will fail

    • Design for graceful failure, not perfect execution

  3. New systems create new problems

    • Anticipate second-order effects

    • Document the problems your solution creates

  4. Clean templates enable everything

    • Start with clarity

    • Simplicity is the foundation of reliability

Build or Not? (The 4 Questions)

Question

Yes = Build

No = Wait

Can I describe the output in one sentence?

✓

✗

Does this remove me from the process?

✓

✗

Do I have real data or accurate sample data to test with?

✓

✗

Have I mapped the inputs/outputs?

✓

✗

Need 4/4 to proceed confidently.

Before You Build (2-Minute Check)

Define the output:

What does success look like in one sentence?

List the inputs:

What minimum data points do I actually need?

Identify the trigger:

What single event starts this process?

Count the steps:

If it's more than 7 steps, simplify first or break into parts.

Building Blocks

Simple pieces I build the mock flow with

When It Breaks (The 5 Debug Questions)

  1. What was the trigger?

  2. What was supposed to happen?

  3. Where did it actually break?

  4. System problem or complexity problem?

    • System = inherent failure (design around it)

    • Complexity = too many moving parts (simplify)

  5. What's the simplest fix?

Rebuild vs. Patch:

  • Patch if: Single point failure, clear fix, doesn't add complexity

  • Rebuild if: Multiple failures, unclear cause, or fix adds 3+ steps

Before Adding Complexity

Answer all four:

  1. Has it run stably for multiple cycles?

  2. Is this solving a problem I've experienced 3+ times?

  3. Can I describe the addition in one sentence?

  4. Can I easily remove this if it fails?

All four checked = proceed.

Any unchecked = wait.

Weekly Review

  • Which systems ran without intervention?

  • Which required manual fixes?

  • What complexity can I remove this week?

  • What's ready to evolve?

Automation I’m Using Myself

Daily Baby Journal:

A personal use here.

Input: text or audio into slack

Process:

  1. Receives journal entry

  2. AI then titles the page, pulls a little excerpt, and selects tags based on my instructions

  3. My message, the title, excerpt are neatly organized into a Notion database

  4. This Notion database then automatically updates the front-end blog interface I have linked to it.

  5. Send notification to the new entry when complete

Output: Organized conversation data stored in Notion for easy retrieval and reference

In my mind this is the best way to use automation. Send text into a workflow, have ai process it and divide it out the way you would like and then log it in an easier to digest fashion. Here your going from info braindump → clean info.

Link for the automation

Thanks for reading,

James

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